if you think you’re enlightened…
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all of this summer excitement is enlivening!
get the fuck out there! seize the day! don’t you dare waste a single second of sunshine!
summer is deviantly whispering to me: you better have a good time. you don't want any regrets do you? you better spend every day out in this glorious sunshine! it's time to have FUN.
this season symbolizes the enlivening joy that spontaneously ignites within us and metaphorically is a time where our desires come alive, so much so that we cannot wait to share them with the world.
during summer many people see more friends and family as the days are long and nights are warm, with plenty of spaciousness to enjoy company.
this is my season where i spend the most time traveling and being down the shore. i socialize a lot more (at least as much as I can as a natural hermit), i ponder whether i’ll spontaneously jump onto phish tour or not, and i tend to share much more of myself with others.
this season, like all others, has its lessons, metaphors, shadows + gifts.
summer is a divinely masculine season that holds the codes of the fire element, ruled by the heart + solar plexus.
in yesterday’s yoga class at yoga rebellion i taught about how these 2 energy centers of the heart + solar plexus work together (side note: all the centers work together).
the solar plexus is the center within us that generates our "i am" - ness. it stokes our inner fire to give us a sense of empowerment and confidence. we then use that confidence to fuel us in taking aligned action towards our desired life.
our heart urges us to share these desires with others as our unique stamp we can gift back to the world. the heart also tells us whether we're walking that walk of authenticity and true desire or if we are deviating away from our authentic truth.
the heart feels spacious when we're confidently making decisions that are in our highest alignment, and tight when we shy away from what we intuitively know is best for ourselves.
some of summer's gifts include expansion, authenticity, higher desire and shining our light on the world.
summer’s spiritual + metaphorical lesson is learning how to pay it forward in an authentically embodied way.
this season invites us to share all the work we've been doing in our psycho-spiritual lives and reflect on how our way of being is impacting the micro and macrocosms around us.
summer invites us to also reflect on his shadows of low self worth, indulging in unhealthy distractions and incessantly seeking that external validation.
i personally had a crash course on navigating the shadows of summer energy just recently.
over the weekend i was with family celebrating my niece's birthday. a joyous time of revelry and socializing.
me + my beautiful niece ayla
at the tail end of the night there was a confrontation between two people who mean the world to me and it shifted the course of the night from rambunctious to inflammatory.
i noticed my nervous system go into overdrive as voices raised and tensions grew. i became cognizant of how my body's reaction was to freeze while this intense energy flitted through my hamstrings and hips.
it took me a few days to integrate that experience and process how i was feeling. i found myself oscillating between anger, frustration, sadness, anxiety and worry for the future between these two people.
in the beginning, all i wanted to do was fix it, repair it and release it.
and then i realized how often i take that responsibility on. as if anything that happens near me, in front of me, or around me is my task to resolve.
(yes, i am a middle child 👋🏽 yes, i am a scorpio 👋🏽 yes my zodiac sign is the transmitter and transmuter of all repressed energies so hello nervous system activation)
it was so freeing to own that this situation — although involving 2 people that are quite close to me — does not actually involve me.
my eyes opened to see how much i take on from the people around me, absorbing their worries, guilt, shame, embarrassment, anger and anxiety.
it took my body a couple of days to release from that freeze response and transmute all that energy in my body, but eventually i got to work and did some fascial maneuvers (see the below video) to release the energetic tension and stayed committed to my non-negotiable daily meditation practice to support my mind.
and that was all i truly could do.
nurture myself.
hold space.
send love.
my heart was so tight because i was trying to find a solution for these people that i care about. it wasn’t until i released that expectation i placed on myself and focused on transmuting my own energy that i felt my heart soften back into its authentic safety net of me.
one of my teachers, raghunath cappo said once, "if you think you're enlightened, go and spend a week with your family."
“if you think you’re enlightened, go and spend a week with your family”
i laughed reflecting on that quote and made this playful reel because it resonates so fucking hard and because humor helps me go through my integration process.
this is where i am tested the most. the people who push me to grow the most. my loving, wild and dysfunctional family.
for many of us, our greatest triggers/teachers/expanders are our families. those souls who we chose to do our most intimate karmic dance with. those who push us, whether we want to be pushed or not, to grow into the people we set out to be.
i know for me, they’re the people who i often treat the worst when i’m in my shadows and i’m working to show up from a more compassionate place.
the work i’m doing within myself transmits into my family’s collective and if i can show up as my authentic loving self there, i can do it anywhere.
some of us are here to not only do our own personal work, but to also teach the world around them how to as well.
this teaching does not happen by pointing the finger, or preaching, or yelling about who is right. it isn’t even about being right in the first place.
for me, it’s about showing up authentically embodied as my highest version of me, as best i can and allowing others to go through their process, no matter how different their process is than mine.
i know that healing is happening because i am showing up more + more with love even in the situations that used to trigger my shadows the most. i am using my tools when i get triggered. i am transmuting the lower vibrational, denser energies faster + faster.
i’m learning that my role as the fixer and mediator is an outdated one that benefitted me in the past; a way to receive love.
however it’s not my only role. it is okay for me to simply witness.
just me, here, showing up, responsible only for my actions. choosing love. practicing empathy. and attuning to that higher frequency that asks, what would my higher self do?
now, don't get me wrong —
this weekend was difficult.
it was emotional. i disassociated often to not have to feel the myriad of emotions swirling around. i felt guilt for not being present with my sister and niece after that blow up. i shut down emotionally.
and on our last day there i made a choice to stop being a thermometer, releasing how deeply affected i was by the past that had come and gone.
i transmuted. i moved my body. we went to the beach. i reflected. i integrated.
and i sent love.
it all comes back to love.
this summer, as you enjoy the rambunctious energy and this human need to seek that joy, my hope is that you remain in your heart, being led by that higher voice that desires to be the thermostat, adjusting the temperature of the room to love, grace and understanding.
it’s okay if it’s not your first reaction, or even your second. i believe that each person in every family serves a function and teaches all who rest beside them; these intimate relationships are our greatest teachers and we do not need to be perfect to be the teacher or the student.
it’s okay to be human.
every moment is a chance to begin again, and set the intention to be that thermostat for love.
to reflect on your perfectly imperfect humanness and see what next choices you have.
first with yourself.
then share yourself with others.
and watch what happens when the resentments fall away.
because anything that's not love is a program.
something that was learned.
something that was never yours to carry.
and each opportunity that arises where you can choose love or shame is an opportunity to spend more time with your authentic self: the part of you that only knows the language of love.
my hope is that this vulnerable share allows you to know that you are not alone, especially if you’re struggling with navigating family parties, holidays or transmuting older memories.
may you know you’re loved by the universe herself and with love, all things are coming.
written with love,
leena
ps: nonetheless we had a great trip + I got to hang out with this hilariously adorable kitty named e.t. life always finds a way to bring balance, lightness and joy, if we’re open to seeing it.
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want to learn more about the energetics of summer?
check out my most recent transmission on youtube. if you enjoy the video, be sure to like, comment and subscribe as all of those simple actions help my channel reach more souls just like you!
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carleena lara-bregatta is an author, teacher and curandera practicing lightwork out of new jersey, usa. she is an embodiment mentor, empowering women + femmes to return to cyclical living, reclaiming their soul's ancient wisdom of authenticity, creativity, mysticism + freedom. she is a student first and believes part of her purpose is to channel the Spirit of madre tierra, ushering in the new earth with codes of equality, liberation, and unconditional love. these posts are not medical advice and are solely designed for educational content.
